It's high time somethin good to know about microsoft zune

At the mercy of a fruit: Microsoft to discontinue Zune

Contributing Writer

Published: Monday, November 14, 2011

Updated: Monday, November 14, 2011 18:11

As some of you may or may not know, Microsoft has recently stated that they are discontinuing the deeply loved and appreciated Zune audio player.

This has caused much chagrin to all of those out there who wish to use an mp3 player that isn't designed on planned obsolescence and doesn't have software that seems solely created to cause senseless frustration (i.e. iTunes).

For those of you who own a Zune, I need not explain its far superior capabilities above the iPod, but for the individuals unfortunate enough to be without, allow me to digress for a moment to state a couple benefits.

The iPod forces you to use a wheel (which will most likely cause vertigo) to navigate, while the Zune uses a simple touch friendly pad/screen.

Think wireless syncing is cool? So does Zune, which is why it has this capability as well as the ability to wirelessly send music from one Zune to another simply by being in the same vicinity as the other. Damage durability? I've dropped mine more times than a roof gutter has dropped icicles in the spring.

Let's step away from these benefits for a moment and just take out of the equation the fact that the Zune is vastly superior to the iPod and look at the larger problem: Without any large competitor in site, iPods are free to run the market however they choose.

The thought of what the future holds for mp3 players in the grips of Apple has me waking up in a cold sweat with brief apparitions of Justin Long still lingering in my head.

What will happen 10 or 15 years down the line when my Zune stops working? How about the kids who have to grow up in a world with no freedom of choice of a properly working mp3 player?

What can you, as a consumer, do to protect humanity from the impending pandemic caused by a world in throes of a "quality made mp3 player" withdrawal? Simple really, refuse to purchase anything Apple or Apple related.

You could of course just stop buying iPods, but to really get the message across I feel that a full-on boycott of the company is necessary. In closing, remember, apples are for eating.

David is a senior majoring in anthropology.